Behind a cold front, deep mixing and a strong low-level jet contributed to gusty winds on March 20th.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS PBZ wrote it up.
Behind a cold front, deep mixing and a strong low-level jet contributed to gusty winds on March 20th.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 7:06 PM EST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 806 PM EDT Tue Mar 19 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Strong wind gusts will continue through 8pm for eastern Tucker, Wind Advisory remains in effect. A new wave of snow is expected with a passing shortwave after dawn. Minor accumulation is expected north of I-80. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... KEY MESSAGES: - Dry conditions will likely keep snow chances low tonight. - Lingering clouds and warm advection will likely keep temperatures above normal. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8pm Update: The 00Z PIT sounding depicts a deep layer of dry air from the the sfc to 750mb and steep low-lvl lapse. With strong pressure gradient, gusts as high 38mph have been observed across the region throughout the day (up to 45mph in eastern Tucker). The nocturnal boundary will likely decrease wind potential across the region overnight for the lower elevations. However, for eastern Tucker County, mountain wave activity will likely keep wind gusts above 50mph through 6am. The Wind Advisory continues to remain effect during this time period. With warm advection and linger clouds, above average temperatures are likely tonight; ranging form the upper-30s to near freezing. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Scattered snow shower activity will increase between 7am and 10am Wednesday north of Pittsburgh. - Light accumulation possible with heavier embedded rates. - Strong wind gusts continue through 8pm Wednesday. ------------------------------------------------------------------- An embedded shortwave within a large upper-lvl trough will sag south after dawn Wednesday morning and increase snow chances north north of Pittsburgh. Given reinforced cold air aloft, low level lapse rates will steepen and ensemble probabilities of instability of >50 J/kg is above 70%. Therefore, the snow squall parameter is elevated and creates the potential for stronger cellular convective snow across the region. The best moisture depth will be in the northern half of our area where soundings show saturation extending into a ~3kft deep dendritic growth zone allowing for another day similar to Monday with heavier bursts of snow. Given the unfavorable diurnal timing, thinking it will again be tough to accumulate efficiently on surfaces, and any heavier bands will result in more of a visibility concern, but higher rates may overcome the warmer ground and put down a quick accumulation. Low level flow oriented with more of a westerly component ahead of the front may keep the strongest bands and highest coverage north of Pittsburgh. It will be a day where the higher totals, again mostly confined to grassy/elevated surfaces, are localized to areas that see heavier snow showers, most likely north of Pittsburgh and within the ridges. Ensemble probability for measurable snow is highest (50-60%) north of I-80 and in the ridges where upslope flow and marginal instability will aid in higher totals. Strong wind gusts continue on Wednesday with a 60-90% chance of exceeding 30 mph areawide, and up to 50 mph in eastern Tucker County with aid from a tight gradient and 40-50 knot low level jet. Gusts will cease after sunset with the loss of the jet and boundary layer mixing. Gusty winds combined with low relative humidities will create another day of marginal fire weather conditions, though the limiting factor should be the isolated rain and snow showers. Thus, fire weather chances will be best in eastern Ohio and portions of northern West Virginia where probabilities of precipitation are the lowest. By Thursday, the upper trough pivots out through Nova Scotia as a brief bout of surface ridging noses in from the north. This should shut off any lingering lake effect precipitation Thursday morning and return dry weather for a day. Ensembles show a low probability chance that the trough could linger a bit longer which would keep snow shower chances around into the late morning on Thursday, but any additional accumulation would be minimal. Fire weather concerns will remain marginal with a slight relaxation of the winds, but degrease in relative humidities. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Near to slightly below normal temperatures Friday into the weekend. - Rain/snow chances return Friday into Saturday. - Drying out for the latter half of the weekend. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Things then become a bit more uncertain with the evolution of a flat shortwave sliding through the Great Lakes on Friday in relatively zonal flow. A southern stream shortwave simultaneously slides through the Southeast and attempts to phase with the northern wave. Low pressure looks to develop across the Southeast and turn up the coast. The latest ensemble trends have taken a turn to a slower evolution, thus earlier phasing of the waves, and a strengthening low a bit further west. The result is higher precipitation chances continuing from Friday into the first half of Saturday for our area, and NBM PoPs have reflected this trend. Precipitation type leans mostly rain with now filling in on the backside with northwest flow, although this still remains low probability. Ensembles seem to also provide a bit of consistency to the forecast for the latter half of the weekend with high pressure building to our north and returning dry weather for Sunday and temperatures holding just below average. && .AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Mainly VFR conditions are expected through the overnight as high pressure lingers across the South. A series of shortwaves within the crossing upper trough and a cold frontal passage will bring increasing chances for snow showers Wednesday morning and afternoon, primarily across the I-80 corridor (FKL/DUJ). Minor vsby restrictions and MVFR cigs are expected after 12z for FKL and DUJ. Snow shower chances will greatly increase and cigs will lift with cold frontal passage around noon. Wind gusts will slacken slightly overnight, increasing again through the morning and peaking around 25-30 kts with frontal passage by Wednesday afternoon. FROPA will veer winds northwesterly. Wind will again slacken somewhat Wednesday night, but gusts 15-20 kts are still expected. .Outlook... VFR will prevail through Thursday as high pressure builds across the region. Restrictions may return late Friday into Saturday with the passage of the next weather system and associated precipitation. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...Wind Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for WVZ514. && SYNOPSIS...Hefferan NEAR TERM...Hefferan/Milcarek SHORT TERM...MLB/Milcarek LONG TERM...MLB/Milcarek/Shallenberger AVIATION...Rackley/Shallenberger
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 727 PM EDT Tue Mar 19 2024 OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029- 031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>513-202330- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH- Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Mercer-Venango-Forest- Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong- Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Higher Elevations of Westmoreland- Fayette-Higher Elevations of Fayette-Indiana- Higher Elevations of Indiana-Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel- Marion-Monongalia- Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston- Eastern Preston-Western Tucker- 727 PM EDT Tue Mar 19 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. WVZ514-202330- Eastern Tucker- 727 PM EDT Tue Mar 19 2024 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Wind Advisory in effect tonight; sustained westerly winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Wind Advisory in effect through 8pm Wednesday; sustained westerly winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. SKH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusts of up to 48 MPH were measured at Wheeling Airport.
Gusts of up to 54MPH were measured at Morgantown Airport.
Gusts of up to 47MPH were measured at a sensor near Parsons.
Gusts of up to 57 MPH were measured at a sensor east of Canaan Heights.
Reports of single trees down were received from Kingwood and Tunnelton.
Wind gusts of up to 51 MPH were reported from a sensor at Afton. A downed tree was also reported at Mountain View.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, March 2024
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1168943, 1168944, 1168948, 1168949, 1168950, 1168951.